A 30-acre tract in Fairmont has been chosen for an educational museum honoring coal miners.

The nonprofit group Miner's Day Memorial Association of West Virginia hopes to explore the world history of mining and the role Appalachia has played in it. It also wants to conduct research at the planned History and Culture Institute of Mining.

The group announced Monday that the museum would be built on land near Interstate 79 just north of downtown Fairmont.

Association President Roy Lee Cooke says architects and sculptors are developing plans for the museum and a bronze sculpture.

About $20,000 in seed money has already been raised, and Cooke says additional pledges have been made.

The group has also created a scholarship to support mining-related education.